Since the dawn of super-hero comics, the ocean-based hero has been a mainstay of the genre. Sub-Mariner was followed quickly by Aquaman. Numerous aquatic-themed heroes have followed over the decades, many tied to the two originals, but some have not been at Marvel and DC.
At times during the history of comic books, aquatic-themed heroes have waned in popularity. Aquaman was even regarded as a joke within the Justice League at one time. Their tie to a visually rich undersea environment, which usually includes the hidden city of Atlantis, often snags the attention of creators and readers. Unsurprisingly, there are a plethora of heroes having adventures under the waves.
10 Tsunami Was A Villain Turned Hero During World War II
The character Tsunami was introduced as a Japanese-American villain that opposed the All-Star Squadron. She had been loyal to the Japanese until she witnessed an ally exhibiting cruelty that contradicted her sense of honor. This drove her to abandon her crusade against the Americans.
She was recruited into an offshoot of the All-Star Squadron called the Young All-Stars. Her undersea-bred strength gave her great swimming speed and she had a psychokinetic control of water. Her effect as a hero was primarily symbolic, since, during World War II, she faced great prejudice against Japanese-Americans, even voluntarily spending time in an internment camp with her family.
9 Aquagirl Died Heroically During Crisis on Infinite Earths
Tula was the first Atlantean to take the name of Aquagirl. Her heroism was demonstrated assisting Aqualad and Aquaman. She served as an honorary Teen Titan, but her tie was primarily with Aqualad, whom she grew to love very deeply. This developed into a strong partnership and the two were inseparable.
During Crisis on Infinite Earths, she and Aqualad went to stop the villains that had conquered Earth-4. When Chemo contaminated the waters of Hudson Bay, Tula was caught in the poisoned waters, prompting Aqualad to race her to Atlantis for treatment. Unfortunately, she died, driving Aqualad into a path of grief that drove him to a new identity as Tempest.
8 Aspen Matthews Got Her Power From Two Warring Undersea Races
As the star of Michael Turner's Fathom, Aspen Matthews is one of the most powerful beings in her world. She's a disgraced Olympic swimmer that becomes a marine biologist just to be close to the water. She discovers the reason for that affinity when she becomes a target for two warring races.
Being a mixture of those two races, Aspen has control over water to the extent that she can even control someone's blood. She has this ability stronger than any of the race that she inherited it from. From the other side, she inherited a speedy healing ability, limited telepathy, and energy blasts.
7 Namorita Found Her Own Path Despite Being A Clone
When Namorita debuted, she was a kid sidekick to her cousin Namor. Namor gave her one advantage he didn't have, a life and education in the surface world with his close friend Betty Dean Prentiss. Namorita even began using Prentiss as her last name.
Namorita began to forge her own destiny away from Namor as part of the New Warriors. However, she did eventually learn that she was an altered clone of her mother. She began to develop further powers due to her altered genetics, although she remained with her friends in the New Warriors.
6 Namora Was The Original Peer For Namor
As Namor's cousin by marriage, Namora shared most of his powers. She debuted following World War II and even had her own title for a brief time. She was believed to be dead for many years until discovered by the Agents of Atlas.
The power that she demonstrated during her time with the Agents of Atlas showed her to be Namor's equal, although he has demonstrated some other abilities. The power that she possessed was so great that a group of Atlantean elders conspired to force her and Namor into a relationship and produce powerful hybrid children.
5 Fathom Was Imbued After Her Death With Power By Earth's Water Elemental Force
Before Aspen Matthews, Bill Willingham had a character named Fathom in Comico's Elementals. She was imbued after her death with power by Earth's Water elemental force. She joined with other elemental-powered heroes to form the team called the Elementals.
Fathom could transform her entire body to water, breathe underwater, swim at high speeds, and control massive amounts of water. She once created a tidal wave that flooded a military-style complex well inland on its island. She also generated so much water pressure that it broke the "watertight" seals in an undersea structure that was controlling sharks.
4 Tempest Evolved New Powers Putting Him On A Different Level Than His Mentor
The Former Aqualad, Tempest saw his powers change when he was attacked with mystic water. A former Teen Titan with powers very similar to Aquaman, Tempest found he could change the temperature of the water, create massive whirlpools and shoot blasts of energy from his eyes. He did, however, lose his ability to communicate with sea life.
With these powers, he was able to forge a new identity away from Aquaman's shadow. He found a role for himself in Atlantis even saving it many times. Unfortunately, his mystic powers attracted the attention of the Spectre who almost destroyed the city and scattered the survivors.
3 Mera Has Power But Is A Little Unstable
Mera has grown from being simply Aquaman's wife to a hero in her own right. Her ability to magically control water sets her apart from the Atlanteans. What also sets her apart is that she's not Atlantean, originally being the queen of an other-dimensional kingdom.
Her control of water is more limited, but her combat abilities are very formidable. In the past, her psychological stability has been an issue due to her torn loyalty to her family and her home dimension. This was exasperated by the murder of her young son.
2 Namor the Sub-Mariner Has More Abilities Than Simply Strength And Swimming
Namor the Sub-Mariner is the hybrid King of Atlantis. He has the standard assortment of undersea hero powers in super-strength, swimming speed, and an amphibian nature. Due to ankle wings resulting from his mutant nature, Namor can also fly. Namor has also exhibited other powers that have received far less attention over the years.
Namor has an empathic power with sealife. He also has extremely sensitive senses that have even allowed him to detect otherwise invisible foes. He's also demonstrated very early an ability to expel moisture from his body to extinguish flames. He also demonstrated an electrical ability that has since been explained to have been lost.
1 Aquaman Is King Of The Seven Seas
Aquaman reigns as the king of undersea heroes despite spending much of his past as a joke among comic book fans due to his telepathic communication with sea life. This also gives him a level of telepathic ability with people. While he's not powerful enough to carry on a mental conversation, it has proven quite powerful in how many creatures he can control at a given time. Aquaman uses this to great effect.
He's demonstrated extreme super-strength which while not on par with other DC powerhouses, he was immensely powerful. He's lept numerous miles and his skin has resisted machinegun fire. He can also swim thousands of miles per hour, twice the speed of sound in water. It's almost no competition over who's the king of the seven seas.